[Chapter Size: 3700 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Arctic, 298 AC.
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Arya could not say she had a happy meeting after they went to the house of her old deceased friend, Hilla. Her parents did not blame her, but they were certainly sad, while holding a little boy of only two namedays, who looked curious and a bit frightened due to his parents' sorrow upon receiving the visit of two young girls.
It was a rather quick meeting. Afterwards, Mearem was accompanied by Arya to her home. In the nobler and quieter areas of Arctic, due to her position as a lady-in-waiting to the princess of Arctic, her family lived with benefits, just like Hilla's family. Who certainly received compensation because of their loss of their daughter Hilla.
Anyway, Arya went on alone with two royal guards that Jon had assigned for her escort and also with Nymeria at her side, who would not let her stray. She had her other direwolves to retrieve in the wolf forest along with other birds she had as family, which she had not brought on her trip and had remained in the kingdom. She would see them later.
After leaving Mearin, Arya stopped in the middle of the streets of that neighborhood and her gaze went to the center of the city, to the great tree that had grown more since the last time she had seen it and did not seem to stop.
She did not fail to contemplate that vision, while breathing the fresh air which, ironically, was the air the tree itself produced for all of Arctic — pure air and, as Arya would dare say, magical as well.
This made her think... The tree makes the environment much more magical, with people inhaling and exhaling the air that it itself produces. It could not be a coincidence that, upon coming here, the royal guards commented that the last generations of children had exploded in numbers of people with magical abilities. More skinchangers were being born than ever.
That would also explain the large number of giants and children of the forest. Even dwarves were reproducing more than at any other time, perhaps because of the environment being favorable to it... And Arya believed that this change had the very air as the cause as well.
Arya remained there, until she finally blinked, looking away. After all, this was something Jon should think about. Anyway, she turned to the royal guards who were staring at her.
"Let's return to the castle. I would like to lie down a bit before nightfall." she said.
They nodded, making sure to pass through the middle of the city. Arya felt the environment with academy students running through the streets, merchants, people going to work or even working, even families strolling and shopping.
This was Arctic: the contrast with Winterfell, where people were more surly and silent. Even being northerners, here they were much more lively and cheerful. The place was much more colorful than gray Winterfell, more than the Reach, more than King's Landing. And they were supposed to be surrounded by wildlings.
People looked at her curiously as she passed alongside her two-meter direwolf, some screaming in fear with Nymeria walking calmly among them. More giant animals were allowed in the city, as long as the warg had the ability to control them. Sometimes you could see a bear or a shadowcat walking with soldiers or even common folk.
However, in Arya's case, there was something quite unusual there, it was not hard to notice the exotic animal that Nymeria represented, in addition to the royal guards escorting her, bearing the symbol of the royal family, while people pointed and whispered.
After all, there was only one group of people who possessed direwolves. No arctican warg had managed to tame them, apart from those who carried Stark blood.
And there was only one kind of girl of that age who rode her horse, who shared that appearance and the connection with the giant wolves.
Her presence there was certainly a surprise to most people, since it was not as if her arrival had been announced throughout the entire kingdom. Rumors were already spreading, clearly coming from those who witnessed her ship arriving at the dock spreading through the port, but they would still take time to reach the whole city.
So, it was no surprise when the first person pointed at her, looking at her with admiration.
"It's Princess Arya!" said a middle-aged man selling fabrics at a stall in the corner of the street, as more and more people stared at her with a gleam of realization in their eyes.
"Arya!"
"Princess Arya!"
"You are back!"
Arya did not even have time to react. She was soon surrounded, caught off guard more than she expected with the reaction of the people of Arctic.
"Princess, we heard you were in the South... Have you returned?"
"The king hadn't announced anything. We would like to welcome you. It has been so long since I last saw you in public, even before your departure, years ago!"
"How good it is to have you back! Arctic is truly blessed with your presence, princess."
"You are becoming a dazzling woman. I'm sure there will be a line of arcticans eager to court you soon." said one of the older women.
"Please, let her breathe!" exclaimed one of the royal guards, stepping closer to Arya and making the people back off a little, though they still continued to gaze at her in admiration.
"The king sometimes walks around the city, but he certainly doesn't show his face. He knows things like this will happen." said the royal guard — a man with a great beard and white hair. He was already 50 years old, but certainly strong, having lived in times before the very founding of Arctic, until he was appointed as a royal guard by Jon.
"Thank you, Ser Harl." said Arya to the royal guard. "I'm sure I'll take your words with me next time. The city is no longer as calm as I can remember..." she said, surprised at the people's reception, gathering quickly around them and surrounding them.
"Clear the way!" said Harl to the crowd. "She needs to return to the castle as well." The place was packed with people still shouting for Arya.
"Let the princess pass!" The deep, thunderous voice caught everyone's attention, and Arya gave a grateful look when a giant dressed in Eldenmetal armor approached with shield and spear in his hands.
His very presence made everyone begin to move aside as his steps pounded against the ground.
"Thank you! If it's not asking too much, would you accompany us?" Arya spoke to the four-meter giant in front of her after he made everyone squeeze together to open a path.
"Yes." the giant said, in the old tongue.
"Anyway, let's move forward." said Arya, unable to do anything more than watch the people calling her name, while she greeted them with waves and waited for the giant to open the way with her following through the city.
In a way, she was loved here, much more than she remembered seeing for anyone else, even the young Margaery in the Reach, more than four years ago. She remembered how the people loved the flower of Highgarden, but here in Arctic, the feeling seemed even more intense for their princess.
She could not help but smile despite the confusion through the streets, but soon went on, having to pass through a crowd of admirers shouting her name.
This made her stop a few times, as she looked at some shops, having the giant help her get out of there. She took the chance to see the city's commerce, with fabrics, wooden sculptures and other materials made by the people, who resold them in exchange for platinum, gold, or silver coins, since bronze was not much used in the city.
Arya was a little surprised at how easily people still used coin now, although the prices did not seem to align much with the reality of Westeros. Naturally, this would happen over time: some things were too cheap, others too expensive. Everything there still depended on supply and demand, which, little by little, would naturally align the prices.
"Princess, tell the king to defeat the dead!"
"Yes, princess, say we will win this war!"
"Princess, tell the king he will protect our families! What do you think? Will we survive?"
As Arya went back on her way, someone mentioned the subject of the war, and quickly people filled her with questions.
"There is no doubt that Jon will win this war, against the dead. We are here for that. Wasn't Arctic created for this? To preserve the people who belong to the Old Gods." said Arya with a firm voice.
"Jon will win this fight, there is no doubt about it! Have faith in our king." Arya's voice had no hesitation, and the people around seemed to gain confidence just from her words.
"Yes, she is right! The king will win this fight!"
"Arctic will prevail! The princess is right!"
"We will win, whether against the dead or against anyone. Hasn't the king already won every known battle in his journeys?"
"That is true. There is not a single living man in the world who has fought more battles than our king!" Arya said to everyone. "He is known throughout the whole world, from Westeros south of the Wall, and even to the other side of the world. All fear the name of Jon Arctic, that I can assure you."
The people agreed in unison.
"The bards sing songs about the king's battles. They are not merely fiction. They are real battles, where he emerged victorious in many places: fighting against noble houses of the South that hate us, facing entire fleets and even the king of the southerners, battling in Queen Hiyori's lands, the slavers of Essos and also challenging the Dothraki in the desert. There are many Dothraki in Arctic who affirm this very story, along with all who participated in those battles."
Other people began speaking louder, and the street started filling more and more with rumors and shouts.
Arya could see that the people were nervous. She did not yet know Jon's strategies for dealing with the threat, but she would be informed when she spoke with him more — since she too would participate in the battle.
She wanted to hear how Jon planned to deal with the army of the dead, but there was no doubt that he was preparing more than ever. Jon was never foolish. Even in crises, he knew how to handle things perfectly and triumphed over them all. He did not only have the ancestral knowledge of greensight, but also the experience of one who had lived through more battles than any other living man. Always using solutions often creative to deal with situations.
Arya had difficulty leaving that street now taken over by people after her speech. But the giant opened a path with the people quite encouraged by her words, and she went on, giving up visiting other parts of the city, for she saw she would need a better escort, or to hide her presence, as the royal guard had suggested.
Anyway, she returned to the castle.
"Is Jon...?" she asked the royal guards at the entrance.
"He went to speak with General Ducken." said one of them, while Arya went inside after nodding.
She spotted Hiyori walking beside the garden with the baby in her arms, Hiyori met her gaze and answered with a nod while greeting her, Arya replied with the same movement of her head.
She also saw Val training with a royal guard in the courtyard. Curious, Arya did not go directly into the castle. She approached the blonde fighting.
Arya was already moving with a rather comfortable posture there, as if the place belonged to her. However, there was no doubt that she belonged to that castle long before most of the women who were now queens.
Val was focused on the movement of her wooden sword, before noticing her mistake, and in the next moment, she saw her sword being thrown far away. Her hand trembled with frustration — she was still not stronger than a royal guard.
The woman did not even look at her, only bowed and turned her attention to the Stark girl, who had returned to Arctic that very day and was approaching them.
Val also turned her attention to Arya. Some said she was Jon's sister, others that she was his cousin. There was confusion about it, but Val well remembered the look Arya had given her at lunch hours earlier.
She also noticed that the very royal guard training with her showed more respect for Arya than for herself. More respect than for her, after all, Val was not a queen. Not yet.
"Hello, Yrsa, how are you after all these years?" said Arya to Yrsa, the female royal guard who trained with Val every day.
"I am well, Princess Arya. It is good to see you here again. It seems we will fight together in this war." said the woman.
"You could say so. This is my fight too, from the moment I came to this kingdom, almost eight years ago." said Arya. Indeed, she had already spent half her life in Arctic.
"That's true. And I must ask... do you already know Val, our king's betrothed?" said Yrsa, while Arya turned her gaze to the blonde.
"Yes, isn't that right, Val?" said Arya in a tone that sounded almost like a challenge.
"It's true, Princess Arya." Val replied in kind.
"I was thinking... I just arrived, but I would like to get some physical warm-up. Is it all right if I join you? They say my cousin, the king, is training you personally, which is a privilege." said Arya, staring at her all the while.
"It was our agreement, if you want to know." Val scoffed, not disguising the challenge. "But if you want to join me, I can teach you one or two moves I have learned."
Arya gave a mischievous smile. "Oh, Val, you really are an older woman... But do not think that today I have not trained far longer than you could have." said Arya, stepping forward, leaving Nymeria behind. Her gaze went to the royal guard.
"You may go. Let me practice a bit with her. May I borrow your sword?" Arya asked.
The woman, a little surprised, nodded at last and handed the sword to Arya.
Val picked her wooden sword from the ground and faced Arya. The royal guards remained nearby, alert. Even Yrsa stepped aside to join her colleagues. Ygritte, in the distance, watched curiously, with Damon in her arms.
Arya and Val began circling each other. Though Arya was not in training clothes and had some limits from wearing a dress, she did not seem to care.
Arya smiled at Val before taking the first step and attacking her. Val was quick to defend herself, which irritated her, trying to counterattack. Arya, however, danced with her feet, keeping the right distance to protect herself, while the swords clashed against one another.
Arya nodded, satisfied, while Val did not stop forcing the clash. But the blonde was already clever enough to understand, with her experience, that Arya was a master in the craft of fencing that she herself was still trying to learn.
Arya balanced herself with ease, executing precise movements that Val still struggled to maintain. The princess had trained thousands of times many years ago, every single day, receiving the same rigorous instruction that Jon had once given. Val recognized: the girl before her had also received that training.
"What beautiful skill she has. Well... it seems she hasn't rusted at all. Bari and Jill must have attested to that, while she was in the South." said Yrsa, laughing among the royal guards while watching the fight.
"That's true, but the king's betrothed has learned a lot from you." replied another, pleased to see the blonde trying to work her footwork. Though not as perfect as Arya, Val had more height, which gave her more reach in her arms. Even so, Arya compensated with strength and speed.
"I don't know... they've been rivaling since the moment they saw each other. The king may not like that." said Harl in a stoic tone.
"Let's just make sure they don't kill each other... and then we'll report it to him." replied another royal guard, while the sound of wooden swords continued to echo.
The fight became more and more intense, until Arya began to grow more aggressive, forcing Val to retreat little by little under the girl's pressure. At one moment, Val found herself cornered, until she lost her sword when Arya, very directly, struck her wrist. The wooden blade slipped from the blonde's hand, and soon Arya placed her sword lightly against her neck.
"You lost." said Arya, as Val stared at her firmly, before breaking into a smile.
"You are incredible... for someone your size." Val commented.
Arya was just over 1.60m, while Val was closer to 1.70m, being visibly taller. The Stark girl only stared at her, before also breaking into a friendly smile.
"You've been training for a few months, from what I know. And you are very, very good. That shows you will be a fighter, but you still have many habits that must be reworked." said Arya, observing. She could notice that Val still had a tendency toward movements outside the pattern of fencing taught by the king.
"It's as they say: it is easier to train someone who has never held a sword than to try to change the habits of an old warrior." Arya laughed.
"I'm trying." Val retorted, recognizing it very well, since Jon always said the same thing. Her problem was forgetting her old fighting habits from outside the kingdom's walls and binding herself to the new style.
"Anyway, we can train tomorrow. May I join you?" asked Arya. The feeling of rivalry had led her there, and Val only nodded, saying nothing.
"Then I will see you tomorrow, Val." said Arya, before turning and beginning to leave. The guards nodded to her, while the young Stark looked at Hiyori, who was holding the child in her arms, standing after watching their fight. Arya joined her as she smiled at the baby, touching Daemon's cheek, who looked at her with childish curiosity.
"I thought it was serious there..." Hiyori could not help but comment. "I noticed your looks at lunch." she said, as perceptive as ever, accustomed to observing the environment around her, since she had received that kind of training from a young age for being a princess.
"Well, nothing much, Hiyori. You know how it is, the rivalry between us women." Arya replied, going back to caressing the boy. "I heard you had problems with the pregnancy."
Hiyori pressed her lips, not liking the memory.
"It's true. Jon concluded that I, naturally, could never be a mother. I keep wondering what would have happened if I had remained princess of Yi-Ti... My father would have been devastated and I would have brought shame to my family. At least I would have had my brother to carry on the lineage if I had not met Jon..." said Ygritte, with a slightly sad tone.
"Hey, wasn't Daemon born? Then what are you complaining about?" said Arya, seeing the vulnerability of the former princess of Yi-Ti.
"Thanks to Jon. Besides knowing that I could not conceive, I also had difficulty in carrying Daemon. But his father changed everything and made him be born as a healthy little boy. He is an adorable little boy and the most precious thing in the world to me. I will just have to be careful not to bear too many children for Jon." she said.
"You have one. Don't you wish to have more children?" asked Arya, taking her eyes off Daemon to look into the emerald eyes of the woman with exotic appearance, with delicate features from the eastern lands and slightly slanted eyes.
"Well, some queens certainly tend to want to have many children among us. But I would prefer not to have too many... I just want Daemon to have at least two or three siblings at most." said Hiyori.
"You certainly have the greatest healer in the world at your side as your husband. Even though you are in a political marriage between Yi-Ti and Arctic, you love him and you are loved. With Jon, you will have as many children as you want. Although Jon always says that the pain of childbirth serves to create a bond of affection between mother and child. Practically all the queens and mothers of his children are more or less having a stroll across the rivers of the city of Arctic, rather than enduring the pain of childbirth." Arya said with a light laugh.
"I think you know what I mean." Hiyori smiled, squeezing Daemon. "Anyway, I'm going to the garden to see the Jade flowers... Would you like to come with me?" asked the queen.
"Not now. I want to sleep a little. I intend to go out at night to the arena, to see some interesting events that will take place in the city."
"I understand. I also heard about that in the gossip of the other queens, but none of us are going, since we are waiting for our husband to make the speech in the coming days." Hiyori said.
"I understand... I want to see if Jon lets me take Lyanna. Perhaps Uncle Benjen will also join us, but we'll go only in disguise." said Arya. "Then I'll be going. Farewell, Queen Hiyori."
Hiyori nodded. "Farewell, Arya, and welcome back. It is good to see you here as well." said the woman with the baby in her arms.
As she began to move away, Arya headed toward the castle, and Hiyori went to the other side of the garden.
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Raccoon Here:
Do I seem like I'm dragging out the story? I just wanted to write a few chapters about Arctic's daily life. And soon the war will begin. I want to do one more chapter of Arya enjoying the city, and then I'll start Jon's final preparations for the war.
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